Inside 1647 Pearl Street

[sheclown]

[sheclown]

[sheclown]

[sheclown]

[sheclown]

this house just belongs here.

[iloveionia]

Are you fricken' kidding me??  My Ionia house had NONE of this glory of an old home.  I'm so furious.  HPC Commissioners???!!!!!  I know some of you see this and read metrojax.  Get real and fix what was done 2 years ago.  I know a lot lot of folks that will not let this happen.  You made poor decisions.  MCCD: you are unbelievable.  UNBELIEVABLE.  That department needs to be wiped away.  You should all be embarassed.  But then you'd have to have a conscious, a duty to protect history, and more than one (I'll stop there.)

[iloveionia]

Dear Historic Preservation Commissioners,
We respectfully request that you repeat a series of motions as you did in April 2009 in regards to removing a house from the formal track list.
The process according to the minutes and general counsel are as follows:

1.) motion to reconsider
2.) second and vote to reconsider
3.) motion to remove from the formal track
4.) second and a vote to remove from the formal track

We appreciate your respect for our Nationally Recognized Historic Neigborhood and our desire as a community to "save the houses." All of them.

[Springfielder]

Perhaps if someone would post a letter, everyone could copy and send it...this has to be saved!

[Debbie Thompson]

Thank you for asking, Springfielder.  For those of you who wish to show your support for our efforts to save this house, you can email:

For the Historic Preservation Commission , use SheClown's example and request an emergency meeting for reconsideration of the formal track on this house.

dcase@rs-architects.com
rmoore@jaxlegelhelp.com
aschifanella@bellsouth.net
joe_thompson@gspnet.com
jennifer.mansfield@hklaw.com
lisasellsjax@gmail.com
Jerry@DZYNECONCEPTS.com


For the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Department, write to Joel McEachin and Lisa Sheppard.
To Joel McEachin and Lisa Sheppard:
mceachin@coj.net,
Sheppard@coj.net

Dear Historic Preservation Department, we respectfully request that you intervene on behalf of 1647 N. Pearl Street.  I have also written to the HPC Commissioners requesting an emergency meeting to reconsider the formal track vote on this house.  The house is not unsound and should not come down.  My goodness, just look at the leaded windows in this 1985 picture of the house (1st one).  And then see the picture taken just the other day. (2nd one) Yes, the house needs love...not the prettiest girl at the party right now.  But the house is sound.  Testimony at the HPC hearing regarding formal track on this house seemed to center around how long the house had been "in the system" as opposed to any really large issues with it.  (see highlighted text in testimony)  The roof could be repaired with a handful of screws, and the piers are not terrible...easily repaired.  The piers with issues appear to be ones on the later addition on the back, but they can be repaired.

While no one is more frustrated than I when we can't get absentee owners to take care of their historic homes, and while I can appreciate the frustration of the City along with mine, we simply must make preserving our historic fabric a priority. Can you imagine Savannah or Charleston with the supply of vacant, weedy lots Springfield is coming to have?  Can you
imagine a tourist or history buff wanting to visit there if that were the case?  PLEASE, I BEG YOU, HELP US SAVE OUR HISTORY!

For our City Council representative, write to Dr. Johnny Gaffney, gaffney@coj.net
Dear Dr. Gaffney, we respectfully request that you interveneon behalf of 1647 N. Pearl Street. This house is in imminent danger of ademolition COA being issued.  This shouldnot happen.    Please, I beg you,intervene and stop this needless destruction of the historic fabric of ourcity.

The house is not unsound and should not come down.  Brenda Boydston at SPAR requested a deferral when it was  discussed. My goodness, just look at the leaded windowsin this 1985 picture of the house (1st one). And then see the picture taken just the other day. (2nd one) Yes, thehouse needs love...not the prettiest girl at the party right now.  But the house is sound.  Testimony seemed to center around how long thehouse had been "in the system" as opposed to any really large issues with it. 

While no one is more frustrated than I when we can't get absentee owners to take care of their historic homes, and while I canappreciate the frustration of the City along with mine, we simply must makepreserving our historic fabric a priority. Can you imagine Savannah orCharleston with the supply of vacant, weedy lots Springfield is coming tohave?  Can you imagine a tourist orhistory buff wanting to visit there if that were the case?  PLEASE, I BEG YOU, HELP US SAVE OUR HISTORY! 

[sheclown]

We received the copy of the engineer's report.  It is posted here:

http://forum.preservationsos.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=896&p=9865#p9865

[Springfielder]

Which does NOT justify the city wanting to bring it down. It needs some work, which can be done

[Debbie Thompson]

MCCD is busted. They admit they are not engineers, and have been tearing down houses based length of time "in the system" or the fact the house isn't currently pretty, and not upon structural soundness, of which they are admittedly ignorant. That's not their job.  The structural engineer cannot, professionally, justify demolition.  This report indicates the house can easily be stabilized.

How many other homes, judged to be "unstable" have come down without justification?  Remember the house on Market,  supposedly "teeter-tottering" that Gloria took a picture of with the level and plumb dead on bubble?  How about the amazing house on 7th between Perry and Boulevard the bulldozer could hardly pull down?  The Patterson Apartments, a heartbreaker. The roof over the back porch had a hole in it.  So what?   How many others?  It  has to stop.

[iloveionia]

I have made numerous requests to MCCD for files and information.  Only one time did the hand go up, otherwise they have responded within 3 - 5 days; sometimes I even received a response on the weekend.  I am pleased there is not resistence, as I understand the Sunshine Law requires this information sharing but I believe they can take several weeks to respond.  I am well schooled in code enforcement ways and am not at all trusting of this department.  That said, they know well that we are big blabber mouths and any thing that comes in print is going to be posted and shared here and everywhere.  Additionally the chief, Kim Scott has ability and power to rescind homes approved for the formal track et. al, with this report, that may very well be possible.  This assessment is very important.  Demolishing the home for safety reasons would be criminal.  The report does not state eminent danger which of course is good for the house. 

Now what for the house?  There are some like the devil himself who think this "POS" should be leveled.  There are others, like me who wish for the house to be saved.  This home is owned by the kiss of death, Tarpon, and this is where CM Lumb will come in.  First came mothballing, now CM Lumb steps up to support preservation and it is with hope that homes like this that have been ignored and abandoned for much to long will have a chance at life again, however that journey may come to be. 

As sheclown says: use it or lose it. 
We have to save the houses, it is our duty. 
And those in a historic neighborhood, new home or old home should understand that.
We should ALL be striving for solutions for preservation, not cowardly acts of demolition. 

Rock on.
We've really done something here, haven't we? 
Hoo Rah.